The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1887-06-03
WEST VIRGINIA HEATHEN.

fed as it is by high mountains, con-
tinuous lines of parallel and numerous
hills, wild woods, and narrow streams,
with comparatively few railroads or
other means of public conveyance and
communication contains many strange
communities, about which very little
Is known outside the limits of their
own almost terra incognita. Their
habits of life are so different from
those of an educated, intelligent, let
tered people, that to truthfully portray
them in all probability would cause
your correspondent to be looked upon
as an accomplished liar.
But the existence of the 'Dirt-
Eaters" and ''Bunchers" or "Amalga-
majors" etc., is well-estaolished
fact. These unnatural types of de-
PRAYED humanity are to be found
among low, degraded class of squat
tiers, who exist and have their being in
the interior in isolated spots of ter
ritory at long distances from railroad,
water, or highway communication
with the civilized world. The "Amal-
gamators" are a hybrid adjunct to civil
ization, dwelling in small commune
ties of perhaps half hundred famil-
les, scattered among the hills and
along the narrow streams in the midst
of vast tracts of primitive nature.
They live in small log huts of one
room, which is made to answer the
purpose of living and sleeping apart
ment for perhaps u family of dozen
or more. The men are sallow, I'M
kenpt, and unshaven, lank and cada-
verous. The women are frowsy, with
sodden countenances, apparently de-
void of mental requirements, while
the children are wild, tow-headed BIZ
peds, not many removes from the
Digger Indian. When the head of
family becomes tired of his spouse he
looks about him and finds in neigh
boris helpmeet one who he imagines
will suit his aesthetic taste much better.
A trade is arranged whereby the men
swap wives for specified or unlimited
time, one of them, perhaps, giving
boot in the shape of hog, gun, or
COW, as the estimated value of the
difference may be agreed upon. Oc-
casionally one of the number is hard
to suit, and in this case perhaps within
q twclve-month as many as four or
arrangement of one house. A reliable
Traveller gave your correspondent to-
day the following account of his ex-
perience: Zone evening, being be-
lated in a narrow valley between high
mountains, was compelled to stop at
tumble-down Lighthouse. found the
patriarch at home. cleaning an old
squirrel gun, and was told ] might
take pot luck with the family. Supper
was laid on puncheon table under
small oak close to the house, and after
had succeeded in swallowing enough
to keep life within me until morning |
struck up II conversation with the pro-
prietor. To my astonishment found
chat the woman who managed his
domestic affairs was the fourth
Buncher my host had purchased or
wrapped within year.
"'You mean that the woman is not
your legitimate wifep' / asked.
"'Wall, she's my wife longs / keep
her, an l think a heap of her. She
kin plant more corn, split more rails,
an ketch coon quicker'n any woman
I've he'd fur a long time
elbow did you get herp'
".Wall, bout four months back
got tired o. Lize--that tother one had
for this un-an'I looked round 'mong
the nabers fur swap Bill Nevins
he'd bin trying to trade hne arter a
brindlescowI he'd furAsum time, an as
] found he he'd likely woman,
offered my ole gal an the COW fur her.
He didn't want to swap much, fur
l's,I IL, -, hut h<.
was too much fur him an we snapped,
an I'm nifty tickled on the bargin.'
"'Is there much trading of this sort
goingion hereg ~ 81 A
'"There's "a hazmh lot NV it. Bill
Nevins has ned three sence last Girls
mus; one NV EN-, Long Bet, hez gone
round the erik, up one side an down
t'other, an Bills got her back twist.
Bets good trader, an she allus scots
herself. Eff she don't like her man
SHE ticks him, an then he's in hurry
to swap her off. G
".But how do you manage about the
childrenp
1.-The men folks allus keeps them to
hum. We don't often trade young
ones
''In this neighborhood / found per-
haps as many as fifteen or twenty
people who snapped or traded wives
with as little interest or less than they
would have displayed had the articles
been horses or cows. Of course the
moral atmosphere was not redolent
with purity, but the women are said to
be as true as circumstances permit to
their infinite variety of husbands"
"The Clay-Eaters" ars SO called from
the use of certain kinds of clay for
food. These people inhabit the dense
wild lands near the Kentucky line,
and are easily recognized and identi-
fled by the peculiar death like appear
ance of their skin. They are univer-
sally of tallow color, with lackluster
dull eyes, lank visages, and lethargic
movements. These half-human beings
evince no interest in the world, and
drag out miserable existence, living
to greater extent than one would
naturally suppose possible on a pecu-
liar clay found in quantities in that
region. These deposits of clay are
soft and greasy, and are compounds of